College Football 2011: The Top 15 Teams Badly in Need of an Overhaul
As we continue on through the month of March and get into April we will see the nation's best players drafted into the world of professional football and truly mark the end of their collegiate careers.
The programs they leave behind may be on the rise, coasting along at a steady pace, or on the verge of spiraling into destruction but there is no doubting they will be missed very much (in most cases anyway).
There is a difference between looking at programs that consistently underachieve and programs that are close to falling off the wagon despite expectations of success, or at the very least, mediocrity.
Whether it is a new coach, top-notch recruiting class or staff changes, the number of big name programs looking for a turnaround is very high.
Here is a look at 15 programs desperately in need of an overhaul.
15. Florida Gators
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Will Muschamp is a great start.
Adding Charlie Weis is an even better second step. Now the Gators have something to build on moving forward after failing to be over .500 in the SEC for the first time since 2004.
They have a tremendous recruiting class coming in again but the quarterback situation has to be figured out immediately.
Jordan Reed is already making the move to tight end and they could even end up using true freshman Jeff Driskel at some point this season.
They should turn things around quick and they could very well overtake South Carolina (who may also have a quarterback controversy of their own) in SEC East.
14. California Golden Bears
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Jeff Tedford has been in power for a long time at California and 2010 was the first losing season in his nine years as head coach, even following a 1-10 season in 2001 he took over and went 7-5 in his first season.
This team missed a Bowl game for the first time since that 2002 season but have not finished any higher than fourth in the Pac-10 (Pac-12 now) since 2006.
Things need change in a hurry up at Berkeley.
The Golden Bears are bringing in five ESPN top 150 recruits, including too big time out-of-state prospects from Georgia and North Carolina and earned a top 20 recruiting class overall.
It will not be easy or immediate but the overhaul has to start now.
13. North Carolina Tar Heels
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This football team lost a ton of talent this season and unfortunately we never got to see the best of what they could have been.
They were 8-5 on the year but if they had all their players there is little doubt they could have challenged for a BCS berth.
Quarterbacks, running backs, wide receivers, defensive lineman, linebackers, secondary—you name it, they lost it.
Fortunately, amidst all the scandal nonsense, coach Butch Davis still landed a top 20 recruiting class again for 2011.
Davis is restocking quickly with a few new tight ends and talented young quarterback. However, he will need to find a few kids that can get on the field in a hurry.
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12. Clemson Tigers
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Dabo Swinney's team continually underachieved last season and they almost always have talent.
They finished second to last in the ACC Atlantic division and were 6-7 overall after losing a Bowl game to South Florida.
As if you expected anything different, they netted themselves a top 10 recruiting class this season, including the nation's top linebacker and two five-star receivers.
The talent continues to flock to Death Valley but now Swinney has to do something with it.
11. Miami Hurricanes
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"It's all about the U."
It's always about the "U," but why haven't they won double-digit games since 2003 and when are they going to find the coach to bring them back?
Well, they think they have found that answer with Al Golden, the man who brought the Temple Owls to life after being so terrible.
It will be interesting to see if he can similarly resurrect this Hurricane program that would love to see a packed stadium once again.
They desperately need to find consistent quarterback play and hopefully Golden can set the record straight and get this team at least in contention for the ACC title (because Florida State certainly is).
10. Texas Longhorns
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Do we really even need to talk about the 2010 Texas season?
Mack Brown began the overhaul himself and we'll see another NFL season before we see them play that terrible in back-to-back years.
The Longhorns return starter Garrett Gilbert at quarterback and bring in a top five recruiting class on top of it.
Brown made adjustments to his coaching staff all over the place and the program saw coach-in-waiting Will Muschamp head to Florida.
The pieces are starting to fall in place for Texas already but they will likely have to depend heavily on a freshman to help jump-start their anemic rushing attack.
They will be better this year.
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders
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Last season was Tommy Tuberville's first in Lubbock so we will not jump on him, but in 2011 he will be tasked with finding suitable replacements to the Taylor Potts-Lyle Leong duo quickly.
They have a highly-touted freshman recruit that could redshirt and potentially have junior Seth Doege slated to be the starter for this offense.
They only won three games in the conference last season and suffered all five of their losses at the hands of conference foes.
Tuberville will certainly have his work cut out for him in the Big 12 South again next season as all five other teams are returning elite-to-good quarterbacks (Jones—OK, Weeden—OK. St, Tannehill—A&M, Griffin—Baylor, Gilbert—Texas) against his defense that gave up 30 points per game last season.
8. Georgia Bulldogs
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Hey Mark Richt, it's time to win some football games again.
The SEC is the toughest conference in football and it is unacceptable for one of it's top programs to lose with the talent that Georgia has.
They started off terribly last season and finished up 6-7, finishing with a miserable Bowl game loss.
Aaron Murray is returning as the starting quarterback and is poised for a big breakout. Richt, also brought in another stellar recruiting class headlined by a five star running back and a five star defensive end that could find the field early.
7. Tennessee Volunteers
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With top of the line expectations and high-profile recruiting classes every year, the Volunteers are just expected to win football games.
The last time they won double-digit games was 2007 and that was also the last time they were better than .500 in the SEC.
Coach Dooley seems to have them believing though and it will be important to see how he factors in this top 15 recruiting class.
It seems they may have found a quarterback in Tyler Bray, now it is time to help him out.
6. Pittsburgh Panthers
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New head coach Todd Graham likes to score points (he came from Tulsa) and it is safe to say he will try to make Pittsburgh the highest scoring offense in the miserable Big East conference.
Only a few Big East teams will give him a fight next season so expect things to happen pretty quickly if he can get comfortable with any of the Panther quarterbacks.
This team was not very good last year and they still finished 8-5, averaged 26 points per game and racked up close 375 yards in total offense as well.
5. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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Greg Schiano's squad went 4-8 last season and a disgusting 1-6 in Big East play.
This was the first losing season for Rutgers since 2005 and it ended a four game Bowl winning streak.
Former top quarterback recruit Tom Savage was benched after poor play and battling injuries. He subsequently transferred at the end of the season.
Now the Knights will ride with Chas Dodd and a number of talented skill players that seem to load the backfield in the Wildcat far too often.
Rutgers' inability to run the football this past season was disgusting and I believe it attributed to Savage's demise and never let him get into a rhythm.
Schiano and his coaching staff need to figure out a way to keep this program standing strong because they could be in danger of falling backwards quickly.
Remember, this program won only 12 games in four seasons at the start of the decade.
4. Oregon State Beavers
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Last season was ugly for the Beavers and they lost a Heisman candidate to the NFL Draft on top of it.
They played to some bad losses last season and face a tough road in the Pac-12 next year.
Ryan Katz will be back at quarterback but 'Quiz Rodgers—such a huge part of their offense—and his production will be near impossible to replace.
I cannot see things getting any easier for Oregon State but they need to figure it out soon.
3. UCLA Bruins
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UCLA's passing attack last season was simply atrocious and they scored only 20 points per game opposed to allowing 30.
Sophomore Richard Brehaut looks like he'll start the season at quarterback and at least they will have leading rusher John Franklin back as well.
They lost their two best defensive players (Rahim Moore and Akeem Ayers) to the Draft and they will be near impossible to replace.
The Bruins are in need of some serious changes if they want to be a competitive football team.
2. Colorado Buffaloes
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Colorado was almost the No. 1 team because they are jumping into a new conference.
Leading rusher Rodney Stewart will return and he will have his work cut out for him in the new Pac-12.
They also have a new head coach, Jon Embree, and it will certainly take some time for this team to put it together.
They were a miserable 2-6 in Big 12 play last season and hopefully they can take advantage of some lackluster teams playing in the Pac-12 this seas and get a few more wins.
1. Michigan Wolverines
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As if any other program could be No. 1?
Michigan is in a nightmare at this point.
Brady Hoke is a good start as head coach but now he has to clean up the mess of Rich Rod in a new Big Ten conference.
Things will not be easy, there is no telling how long it will take for him to get the players he needs to succeed into the program, but one this is for sure, this team needs an overhaul.
Honorable Mention: USC Trojans
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Lane Kiffin.
Need I say more?
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